The Red Wolves’ #1 Offense Challenges the Mountaineers’ #1 Defense

Appalachian State’s 6’9″ forward Justin Abson ranks 5th in the nation for blocked shots per game – 80 blocks on the season, 2.87 per game. His teammate, 6’7″ forward Tre’Von Spillers, has added 39 more (1.3 pg). They form a Committee of Rejection that has ranked the Mountaineers first in the nation for blocked shots per game – an astounding 6.8 per contest.

But when it comes to rejecting shots, the Red Wolves are no slouches. Arkansas State’s sophomore 6’10” forward Izaiyah Nelson has registered 59 blocks this season, averaging 1.97 per game, good for 32nd in the nation. Overall, the Red Wolves block better than four-and-a-half shots per game, good for third best in the Sun Belt.

Simply put, soup will not be served easily when the Red Wolves visit Boone on Friday.

Blocking shots isn’t the only storyline – in fact, it’s not even the narrative most worthy of telling. The big takeaway is that the Sun Belt’s #1 ranked offense (Arkansas State) will clash with the Sun Belt’s #1 ranked defense (Appalachian State) in Boone on Friday at 5:30 PM. We will see the firepower of the Red Wolves’ three point barrage versus the stingy barricade of the Mountaineers’ iron-will defense. We shall witness the proficient assist abilities of the Arkansas State’s Caleb Fields pitted against the Mountaineers’ Tre’Von Spillers’ hunger for defensive rebounds. We will have the pleasure of observing the Red Wolves Freddy Hicks muscling through the paint for put-backs and the Mountaineers’ Donavan Gregory’s supernatural ability to get to the free throw line.

The Mountaineers, behind a perfect 12-0 record at home, have secured first place in the Sun Belt, while Arkansas State exceeded preseason expectations to finish fourth. As a result, both teams will enjoy double-byes in the upcoming Sun Belt tournament. The outcome of Saturday’s game will not change the seeding. But as this game represents the last match-up of the regular season for both programs, both the Red Wolves and the Mountaineers will want to set the tone – and send a message – with a victory.

However, it’s no small feat to visit Appalachian State and come away with a victory. In fact, it hasn’t happened since February 18th of last season, when Old Dominion defeated the Mountaineers 74-63. Why is it so difficult to win on Appalachian State’s home court? The Specter of Boone is a legit poltergeist on the hardwood – at 3,333 feet above sea level, the atmosphere literally sucks the oxygen from your lungs. Upon the animated encouragement of popular head coach Dustin Kerns, the Mountaineers student section is among the very best in the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers average about 3,800 fans per game, but it feels twice that. To lose in Boone is to become inducted into a celebrated fraternity that just this season added Auburn (currently ranked 11th by the AP). On a more relevant note, the Mountaineers are 6-2 versus the Red Wolves at home.

However, when the Red Wolves make the chilly trek through the Appalachian Mountain range, they will do so with significant momentum. Arkansas State has won six straight with three of those victories coming on the road. Additionally, the Red Wolves have reacquired the services of junior 6’6″ guard Freddy Hicks Jr., a wrecking ball who is healthy at last. Most importantly, a Red Wolves team that is helmed by a first-year head coach and is rostered by seven new players, has gelled to that in plays in near perfect concert.

With Bryan Hodgson’s team maturing, we’ve seen the Red Wolves win in a number of ways: blowing out South Alabama, fending off a hard charging Southern Miss, twice defeating a very good Troy team, and on Wednesday, methodically beating Coastal Carolina in the paint when it was determined that the three-ball was not going to fall. A team that, at the beginning of the season, seemed hopeless on defense and over reliant on three-point shooting has seen 6’3″ sophomore guard Derrian Ford become a prolific rebounder, Nelson evolving into a defender who can score, and three-point specialist Avery Felts transforming into a tenacious defender.

With the pieces aligning at the right moment for Arkansas State, the Mountaineers will need every advantage to accomplish a perfect home record. The Red Wolves will be ready for anything – even a drop in O2.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Carla Wehmeyer – Arkansas State

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the game in question would be hosted on SATURDAY. In fact, the game is hosted in Boone on FRIDAY. Those responsible for this egregious error has been properly beaten.